Suffering for your art

[Donald]

Some people will have seen a pic from me a few days ago (here), in which I showed the result of the contest between my shinbone and piece of Lewisian Gneiss, one of the oldest rocks in the world (expressions of sympathy may still be lodged!). The confrontation took place as I was walking back along the cliffs from this location.

Well, was it worth it?

You tell me. C & C always welcomed.

[Shadowman]

If your tetanus shots were up to date then yes. Nicely captured.

[mugge]

Donald, your B&W shots are, as usual, impeccably executed. I like that you desisted in sharpening the picture. I may have done that and I think I'd be wrong. Great picture.
Cheers Ole

[Donald]

Donald, your B&W shots are, as usual, impeccably executed. I like that you desisted in sharpening the picture. I may have done that and I think I'd be wrong. Great picture.
Cheers Ole

Thanks, Ole.

Yes, sharpening is, of course, one of those subjects that we'll never stop talking about.

Since I started using Silver Efex Pro for my B & W conversion, my sharpening practice has changed. The capture sharpening is still carried out by DxO Optics 10 with the camera/lens profiles loaded (i.e. DxO makes a profile for body and lens combinations and, once installed, many things such as capture sharpening, distortion, chromatic aberration, etc., are corrected upon opening the image). And, at the end, I still apply an output sharpen once I have resized the picture.

It's the 3rd part of the sharpening process (the bit that comes between the above two) that has changed for me. Rather than use a specific sharpening tool for content sharpening as I previously did, I use the tools available in Silver Efex Pro such as 'Fine Structure' to achieve the same ends.

That workflow works for me.

[mugge]

Donald, I will be doing some reading on that subject.
Cheers Ole

[chauncey]

Hindsight being what it is...it wasn't worth it.

But, the lesson learned may prove invaluable...you're getting older and less sure footed
than the mountain goat of times past.

I would wager that you protected your gear more than your shin.

[Donald]

I would wager that you protected your gear more than your shin.

You bet. With my 5DS and 11-24 f4L lens already in the repair centre, there was no way I was going to let anything else get damaged. When I felt myself falling, I wanted to make sure I went towards the front so as to avoid the backpack I was wearing, hitting anything.

[IzzieK]

Of course this shot is worth it, Donald...I like it and I like your conversion. I clicked on the image and it brought me to your Flickr account and I have to log in to my sbcglobal account to expand it so I just used the other method that Dave advised. (Thanks Dave...) You have a good eye on this beautiful place...lovely composition.

[Donald]

You have a good eye on this beautiful place...lovely composition.

Thank you, Izzie.

[Rebel]

Very nice, lovely composition.

[KeithH]

It's a lovely scene Donald but inho it seems a little flat and lifeless whereas a gentle tweak in the brightness/contrast department raises it to a whole new level. Hope your wounds are healing ok.

[bnnrcn]

Very nice image Donald I like the composition and the rendition. The more contrasty FG and less strong look of hills make a good combination .

[DEAN01]

+1 to Binnur's comment.

[Donald]

Thanks again for all the comments. Everything does get taken on board.

[Loose Canon]

Hey Donald!

Been pretty darn busy lately and while I have had a chance to peruse the Forum, post one, I’ve not had a chance to really participate much.

So let me just say right here and right now I’m really digging the vaca shots.

I have always thought that for an artist to produce the best work they are capable of then “suffering for the art” is a misnomer. I don’t believe that kind of negativity is good for the art.

Instead, I believe that an artist must strive to have a balanced life. Good/Bad, Happy/Sad, Light/Dark, Yin/Yang in order for their art to flourish. Comes from within and one must be inherently happy to begin with or the “suffering” will overwhelm and degrade.

You are the latest example!

Vacation- Awesome! Untimely rock encounter- Not So Much! Balance- would have been nice to have a little more on the way to the ground! Taking one for the gear- Making Up for Loss of Balance!

Sorry about the shin bone Donald. Hurts just looking at it! Happy about you not going over a cliff! It should feel much better when it quits hurting Brother!

You are one of the most balanced artists I have seen (and I’m not just talking about the shin-stopping rock!).

It shows in your work and that is a great example of the concept.

Balance.

[JBW]

If it was my shot it would be worth the tumble and the pain because it would be the best shot of that type I had ever taken.

Hope your healing goes well.

[JBW]

Thanks, Ole.

Yes, sharpening is, of course, one of those subjects that we'll never stop talking about.

Since I started using Silver Efex Pro for my B & W conversion, my sharpening practice has changed. The capture sharpening is still carried out by DxO Optics 10 with the camera/lens profiles loaded (i.e. DxO makes a profile for body and lens combinations and, once installed, many things such as capture sharpening, distortion, chromatic aberration, etc., are corrected upon opening the image). And, at the end, I still apply an output sharpen once I have resized the picture.

It's the 3rd part of the sharpening process (the bit that comes between the above two) that has changed for me. Rather than use a specific sharpening tool for content sharpening as I previously did, I use the tools available in Silver Efex Pro such as 'Fine Structure' to achieve the same ends.

That workflow works for me.

Donald, a question which I hope won't start an argument. Why don't you shoot in B&W rather than convert to it?

[rpcrowe]

Donald, I thought that I was older than rocks

[Donald]

Donald, a question which I hope won't start an argument. Why don't you shoot in B&W rather than convert to it?

I shoot in RAW. So, all the data, including the colour data, is captured. Canon's own DPP software reads that I had the camera set to Monochrome (see below) and presents the image on monitor as B & W. Any other RAW processing software (and I use DxO Optics) displays the colour information on the monitor. Either way, you still have to go through the process of conversion to take out the colour data as well as to do all the other post-processing things you want to do.

Why do I have the camera set to Mono if I'm shooting RAW? Well, because I then see a B & W image on the back screen of the camera, both when I'm in LiveView setting up the shot and when I review them. I've written before that my decision as to whether it's going to be a colour or B & W image is made at the time of capture, not later when I'm processing. So, if an attempt at a colour photo, for example, doesn't work once I review it, I never, never have a look to see if it works in B & W, or vice-versa. That's just part of the disciplinary process I impose upon myself.

It is also part of the process of learning to 'see' in B & W and of shooting for a B & W image or a colour image. Whenever I look to capture a colour photo, I change the picture style in the camera to Faithful. And then back to Mono for a B & W photo. Completely unnecessary of course (because I'm shooting in RAW), but it's just part of the process of capturing a photo that I apply to my workflow. Because I believe that when I do this it helps me to 'think' in colour or B & W, whichever the case may be.